Mark Selby and Stephen Maguire will contest the 2025 Welsh Open final today for the Ray Reardon trophy. Here is how they emerged the winners of their respective semi-finals, as reported by WST.

Mark Selby 6-3 Luca Brecel

SELBY FINISHES STRONGLY TO END BRECEL’S RUN

Mark Selby came from 3-2 down to beat Luca Brecel 6-3 and reach the final of the BetVictor Welsh Open, remaining on track for a 24th ranking title. 

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Brecel looked the stronger player when he led 3-2, but crucially missed chances in the sixth and seventh frames. That allowed Selby to gain control of the contest, and the four-time World Champion reeled off the last four frames to set up a final against Ali Carter or Stephen Maguire in Llandudno on Sunday.

The 41-year-old from Leicester will be playing in his 36th ranking final, having won 23 of his previous 35. Back in 2008 he beat Ronnie O’Sullivan 9-8 in the Welsh Open final, and has not won the event since. If Selby can lift the Ray Reardon Trophy tomorrow it will be his third piece of silverware this season having won the Unibet British Open in September and the BetVictor Championship League last week. He is sure to climb one place to third in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings, and the £100,000 top prize would boost him to fourth on the one-year list.

Defeat is a double blow for Brecel as victory today would have guaranteed him a place in next month’s World Grand Prix, instead he misses out on that event in Hong Kong. His hopes of winning the £150,000 BetVictor Bonus are also over as he needed to win the tournament to top the BetVictor Series rankings, so that windfall goes to Neil Robertson.

In a repeat of the 2023 Crucible final, Selby made a superb start with a 131 total clearance in the opening frame. Brecel was suffering from a headache and took a short break, and when he came back to the table he got his cue arm going with a run of 68 for 1-1. A scrappy 45-minute third frame went Selby’s way, before Brecel made 79 in the fourth then dominated the fifth for 3-2.

Belgium’s Brecel had chances to extend his lead in frame six, but missed a red with the rest when he led 23-2, and Selby punished him with a run of 60. World number seven Brecel had another opportunity in the seventh, but on 45 went for a risky three-ball plant which missed its target, and Selby cleared with 67 for 4-3. The Englishman went on to take the eighth with runs of 33 and 35 before sealing victory in the ninth with a 74.

“I got stronger as it went on, from 3-2 down that was the most composed I have felt all week,” said Selby. “I lost my way a bit after the interval. The match turned on the plant Luca went for at 3-3, it was probably a one in ten shot and perhaps he shouldn’t have gone for it. For me, you have to weigh up the options and percentages, if it’s not in your favour it’s not the right shot. But that’s how Luca plays and he has won tournaments so he’ll feel he doesn’t need to change.

“The difference for me in the last few weeks has been that I have been winning scrappy frames, which I had struggled with previously for a few months. Winning the Championship League gave me confidence. I have lacked consistency at times this season so it has been great this week to put a run together. I’ll enjoy the final tomorrow but I will be trying my hardest and determined to win.”

Brecel, who was playing in his first ranking semi-final of the season, said: “I didn’t play well enough, I missed too many chances. I felt I was playing well enough to win the tournament, but Mark was a very tough opponent today.”

Stephen Maguire 6-4 Ali Carter

MAGUIRE REACHES FIRST FINAL IN FIVE YEARS

Resurgent Stephen Maguire ground out a 6-4 victory over Ali Carter at the BetVictor Welsh Open to reach his first ranking event final since 2020.

World number 29 Maguire had not even appeared in a ranking event quarter-final this season prior to this week, but has shown his renowned fighting spirit in Llandudno to make it through to the conclusion. On Sunday he will battle Mark Selby over 17 frames for the Ray Reardon Trophy and a top prize of £100,000, with Glasgow’s 43-year-old Maguire aiming for a seventh career ranking title and first since the 2020 Tour Championship.

Back in 2004, Maguire won the UK Championship, and subsequently enjoyed a sequence of nine consecutive seasons ranked among the world’s top ten. Since then, highlights have been few and far between, but he recently started work with coach Chris Small for the first time and this week has produced a string of impressive wins. 

As an added bonus, his run has boosted Maguire from 41st in the Johnstone’s Paint One-Year Rankings into the top 32 and guaranteed him a place in next month’s World Grand Prix in Hong Kong. Victory over Selby tomorrow would push him up to 13th on that list and to 21st in the official Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings.

The Scot took the opening frame tonight with a break of 84, before Carter won the next two with runs of 118 and 54. World number 15 Carter had a chance to lead 3-1 but in frame four, trailing by 14 points, he missed the final blue to a baulk corner and also sent the cue ball in-off, allowing his opponent to level at 2-2.

Carter regained the lead before a break of 85 got Maguire back to 3-3. In the seventh, Carter was 22 points ahead when he missed frame-ball black to a top corner off the last red, and Maguire punished him by clearing the colours. A run of 57 extended Maguire’s lead to 5-3, then Carter’s 47 helped him pull one back.

Both players had chances in frame ten, and Maguire established a 58-35 advantage before laying a snooker on the last red. From the chance that followed, he slotted the red into a baulk corner from mid-range and added the points he needed to reach a 14th ranking final. 

“It was a scrap from start to finish and I’m very happy to come out on the right end,” said Maguire, who beat Stuart Bingham in the final of this event in 2013, two years after he had finished runner-up to John Higgins. “I have done well in the scrappy frames this week because I have not been scoring well, I haven’t even made a century. Working with Chris (Small) has definitely helped me. A few months ago I was losing to players who I didn’t feel I should be beating me. I made the call to Chris and he stripped my game back to basics. Maybe this is the reward.

“It’s nice to be in the World Grand Prix now but for me it’s all about trying to win the title. I’ll only enjoy it tomorrow if I win.”

I didn’t watch the evening match. I was due to travel very early this morning and couldn’t afford to stay up late but I’m very happy with the outcome. I always liked Maguire who is a no-nonsense guy and plays the game properly.

Regarding the afternoon match, Mark played well. It was a shame though that Luca wasn’t 100% fit. At the start of the match he required medical attention as he was suffering from migraine. Migraine isn’t just a headache. It’s very painful, it affects your vision, strong light is nearly unbearable, and it comes with nausea as well. The medication needs a bit of time to deliver full effect, the start of the match was delayed, and, of course, after a while, that effect fades. Luca started well but his level dropped as the match went on. We will never know how much the migraine affected him, if at all. But, as I already wrote, Mark played well, really well.

The quarter-finals at the 2025 Welsh Open in Llandudno delivered some very hard fought battles and unexpected comebacks. Here are the reports shared by WST:

Afternoon session:

Mark Selby beat John Higgins 5-4 in a marathon five-hour tussle to reach the semi-finals of the BetVictor Welsh Open for the first time since 2012.

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Two of snooker’s toughest match-players produced a contest which was low on quality by their high standards, but bubbled to an exciting conclusion, Selby getting the better of a tense decider to reach his 65th ranking event semi-final. He will meet Luca Brecel on Saturday as he continues his quest for a third title of the season, having already won the Unibet British Open and BetVictor Championship League Invitational.

“We both struggled and brought each other down, there were a lot of scrappy frames,” admitted world number four Selby, who landed the first of his 23 ranking titles at the Welsh Open in 2008, but has not won it since. “If one of us had played better, the other might have raised his game. The only positive for me is that I got over the line and I can only improve tomorrow. If I had lost I would have been gutted, but now I can put that behind me.”

Leicester’s Selby took the opening frame on a respotted black, and the second on the colours. A break of 68 helped Higgins pull one back, and in frame four he converted a thundering a long pot on the penultimate red to create the chance for 2-2. The fifth frame lasted  62 minutes, resolved when Higgins potted brown and blue to go ahead, before Selby’s run of 53 helped him restore parity. In the seventh, Higgins was on 61 when he over-cut a tricky thin red, and his opponent later made a 42 clearance to edge 4-3 ahead. 

Selby was 15 points behind in frame eight when he missed the final green to a baulk corner, allowing Higgins to force the decider. The key moment came when Scotland’s Higgins, down 35-13, potted the blue to a centre pocket and was unlucky not to gain position on a red. He then played a loose safety, and Selby slotted in a long red to set up a match-winning 84, his highest break of the day. 

Higgins, still seeking a first ranking title since the 2021 Players Championship, said: “It was a mammoth game, I gave it everything. I know the shots but I’ve got deficiencies in my game. I just can’t bring myself to play the right shot, that’s the disappointing thing. At 3-3 when I was on 61, I had to play a high black into the pack, when I have been playing the low black and screwing into the reds. I just don’t have the cue power to play those sort of shots. If I had gone 4-3 up then who knows. But Mark made a great clearance under pressure in the last frame.“

Selby against Brecel will be a rematch of the 2023 Crucible final, which the Belgian won 18-15. Surprisingly, this will be Brecel’s first ranking semi-final since that event 21 months ago. He beat Jackson Page 5-2 today to add momentum to his recent return to form.

There’s no shortage of incentive for 29-year-old Brecel over the last weekend in Llandudno as if he beats Selby he will climb into the top 32 of the Johnstone’s Paint One-Year Rankings and earn a place in the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong next month. If he then goes on to take the title, he will win not just the £100,000 top prize and Ray Reardon Trophy, but also the £150,000 BetVictor Bonus which goes to the player who earns the most money across the BetVictor Home Nations Series.

World number seven Brecel took the first two frames against Page before his opponent, the last Welshman in the field, responded with 67 and 103 for 2-2. After the interval, Brecel looked the stronger player, and compiled breaks of 94 and 76 in taking the last three frames. “I enjoyed the game and took my chances,” said Brecel after reaching his 12th ranking event semi-final.

The Selby v Higgins match is the one I watched. It lasted for so long that eventually WST decided to start the other afternoon match on table 2 instead of table 1 as originally planned because, obviously, delaying it further would have caused serious scheduling issues. It wasn’t a high quality match but it was fascinating albeit painful to watch at times. I’m happy with the outcome. I really like Mark Selby as a person, even if, at times, I find his game a bit too “conservative” and hard to watch. I used to like John Higgins, who is a wonderful snooker player, but no more after what happened in 2010. I know that he was set up but he didn’t know that, so what he did is what he would have done if the approach had been “real”. He could have talked to World snooker after the approach, and he would have been alright, but, as a matter of fact, he didn’t. If it had happened today and if he was a young Chinese lad, he would have got a very lengthy ban. I’m 100% sure of that. As it is, he only missed a few minor events early in the next season, and to be fair to Higgins, he gave it 100% on his return, but still … Pat Mooney, who, at the time, had been approached/appointed by Hearn as director in charge of the development of snooker in Eastern Europe, was “excluded” from all snooker involvement for life. That was the right decision and it tells enough about the seriousness of the incident even if it has been downplayed by some¹ since. It was made even worse by the fact that John was still the reigning World Champion when it happened. Also I always wondered what were the real motives of the “NOTW” or of whoever “tipped” them² … that aspect was never elucidated or explained IF someone at WST actually knows the truth about that aspect of the “scandal”. I always wondered if the real “target” may actually have been to discredit Hearn who had just taken over the sport and had appointed Mooney to his team.

Evening session:

Stephen Maguire reached his first ranking event semi-final in four years with a 5-3 victory over Jack Lisowski at the BetVictor Welsh Open – a result which could earn him a place in next month’s World Grand Prix in Hong Kong.

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Six-time ranking event champion Maguire has had few moments in the limelight in recent seasons and has dropped to 29th in the world, but the 43-year-old has shown fighting spirit this week and is into the last four for the first time since the 2021 Welsh Open. On Saturday night in Llandudno he’ll meet Ali Carter, who recovered a 3-1 deficit to beat Joe O’Connor 5-3.

Glasgow’s Maguire came into this week needing a deep run to move into the top 32 of the Johnstone’s Paint One-Year Rankings and earn a place in Hong Kong in March. As it stands he is in 32nd place, though he could yet be ousted by Luca Brecel if the Belgian beats Mark Selby in Saturday’s first semi-final. 

Lisowski, still seeking his first ranking title, started strongly tonight as breaks of 85 and 93 put him 2-1 ahead. In the fourth frame he potted eight reds with blacks but then – perhaps chasing a 147 chance – missed a risky red and Maguire pinched the frame for 2-2. The next two were shared before Maguire’s run of 66 put him 4-3 up. In frame eight, Maguire led 24-0 when he missed a red to a top corner with the rest, but Lisowski couldn’t capitalise as his counter ended on 29 with a failed red to centre. A further 47 was enough for Maguire to reach his 36th ranking semi-final.

“Jack looked brilliant early on, I thought he was going to make a maximum in the fourth frame,” said the Scot. “I managed to nick that one and it changed the match. My cueing was a lot better tonight, though I still threw in a few stupid shots and I’m a long way off my best. I’m still fighting. I felt edgy tonight when it was 3-3 because it was a big match for me, it’s nerve-racking out there. I’ll be excited tomorrow and looking forward to it more, I love the one table set up.”

Carter won the first of his six ranking titles at this event back in 2009, and his most recent at the BetVictor Championship League at the start of this season. Despite suffering from illness this week, he has reeled off four wins to earn a 32nd career ranking semi-final. He and Maguire, both known for a fiery temperament, met in the semi-finals at the Crucible back in 2012, Carter winning 17-12 and the world number 15 will hope to come out on top again this time.

O’Connor looked the stronger player in the early stages, and though Carter made a break of 90 in the third frame, he lost the other three before the interval. But O’Connor mustered just 27 points in the last four frames as Carter dominated with top runs of 62, 66 and 91.

“I came here feeling very rough with a virus, I just had to get through the early rounds to give myself a chance,” said the Essex cueman. “At the interval I said to my coach Chris Henry that I still felt I could play well and I was just going to go for it. I have played some turgid stuff this week, but that was by far my best tonight from 3-1 down.“

Jack I’m afraid was his infuriating self again. Brilliant at the start of the match but apparently collapsing when put under pressure by his opponent. I write “apparently” because that’s how it feels, but I wonder if there might be some other issue. Maybe what Jack went through as a young lad, beating cancer, left him vulnerable to fatigue and he simply can’t sustain the required level of concentration for long? If that is the cause of the problem, it’s a crying shame because, when in full flow, he’s wonderful to watch.

1. Most notably by Steve Davis, who at the time was in tears in the media room, convinced that snooker was doomed… ↩︎
2. Pat Mooney and John Higgins had tried to promote snooker through a series of events across Europe: The World Series of Snooker. It was a great initiative but it didn’t get the success they expected. It had left them with some huge debts and the players involved had not been paid in full yet. ↩︎

The first day of the 2025 Welsh Open in Llandudno was an interesting one on many accounts but, before I come to that, here are the reports shared by WST:

Morning and afternoon sessions

BetVictor Welsh Open Day One

Gary Wilson described his own performance as “hideous” as his defence of the BetVictor Welsh Open title ended in the opening round with a 4-3 defeat against Ishpreet Singh Chadha.

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Wilson won his third ranking title in Llandudno last year, beating Martin O’Donnell in the final, but has lost form in recent months and admitted last week that he was seeking a solution in practice. Suffering from illness, the Tynesider was well below his best today and from 3-2 up he lost the last two frames against India’s top player Chadha. The result leaves Wilson in danger of failing to qualify for next month’s World Grand Prix. “I’m just sick,” he admitted. “If I’d had half my game I probably would have got through, but it was hideous.“

Chadha enjoyed a fine run to the semi-finals of the BetVictor English Open earlier in the season, notably beating Mark Selby, and the world number 69 proved again that he enjoys the big occasion. A break of 76 gave him the opening frame, and despite falling 3-2 down, the 28-year-old dominated the last two to set up a last 32 meeting with Jackson Page.

“It felt amazing, to beat a three-time ranking event winner,” said Singh-Chadha. “I was on it from the start and Gary was a little but off, but it was a tough match. I was tough mentally even before I became a pro and I have worked on the technical side with my coach Yasin Merchant. As I am playing better I feel more confident. I am close to getting into the top 64 now which would be a great achievement in my first two seasons.“

Home favourite Mark Williams looked sharp in a 4-1 win over Florian Nuessle, compiling breaks of 101, 100 and 117. “I’ve been playing well all season,” said Williams, the last Welsh winner of this event back in 1999. “I’ve won a tournament and could have had one or two more. It’s more than I ever thought I’d be doing, approaching my 50th birthday. I’ve just got to enjoy it.“

Neil Robertson has extra motivation this week as he is front runner for the £150,000 BetVictor Bonus, and he started strongly with a 4-2 win over Mark Davis. From 2-0 down, Robertson reeled off four frames in a row with top breaks of 67 and 77. That result means that just ten other players are still in the race to win the bonus.

Mark Selby enjoyed a 4-2 victory over Haydon Pinhey, while Welshman Jamie Jones beat Si Jiahui by the same scoreline.

Evening session

BetVictor Welsh Open Day One Evening

Mark Allen launched his bid to win the BetVictor Welsh Open for the first time as he battled back from 2-0 and 3-2 down to beat Stan Moody 4-3 in the last 64 in Llandudno. 

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Allen has been ever-present in this tournament since 2006 but surprisingly has just one semi-finalist appearance, in 2016. The 11-time ranking event winner will hope to improve that record this week and cleared the first hurdle with an excellent break in the deciding frame against teenager Moody. 

Winner of the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship in December and a semi-finalist at the recent Johnstone’s Paint Masters, Northern Ireland’s Allen is looking to continue his sequence of deep runs and will face Yuan Sijun in the last 32 on Wednesday at Venue Cymru.

Moody made a confident start with breaks of 59 and 95 to win the first two frames. The 18-year old had chances in frame three but couldn’t take them, and Allen snatched it on the colours, then made a delightful 138 total clearance for 2-2. A run of 64 helped Moody regain the lead, but he lost a scrappy 39-minute sixth. In the decider, Moody was first among the balls and made 29 before missing a red to a baulk corner. World number eight Allen seized his chance with a match-winning 67.

“Stan started really well to go 2-0 up,” said 38-year-old Allen. “I hung in there and played some decent stuff to get back into it. I had to rely on him making a few mistakes towards the end. I’m relieved to get through. I didn’t expect him to miss the red in the last frame, I made a good break from there and I’m pleased to close it out that way. I haven’t practised as hard as I usually do for this event but I have a day off tomorrow to try to be ready for Wednesday.”

John Higgins was outstanding in a 4-0 win over Graeme Dott, firing breaks of 113, 60 and 107. Elliot Slessor was also on the right side of a 4-0 scoreline, beating Liam Davies with a top run of 105.

Robert Milkins, who won this title two years ago but has since failed to go beyond the quarter-finals of any event, enjoyed a much-needed 4-1 win over Wang Yuchen. 

Ishpreet Sing Chadha is a player I like to watch. I had watched him play as an amateur on the stream during the qualifiers in Thailand and had immediately warmed to him. He’s a very good player who appears to be blessed with a great temperament and seems to enjoy his snooker. He plays a very positive game, without being reckless at all. He may have been helped by his opponent’s illness but he deserved this win 100%. That’s said, it’s never nice to see a player struggling with ill health and I wish Gary Wilson a speedy and complete recovery.

I may have appeared to dislike Stan Moody in the past, but this isn’t the case and never was. What I dislike is the fact when WST puts a strong focus on a young player – more often than not on an English kid – before they have actually proven anything. This sport isn’t easy, it’s very taxing mentally and emotionally and those young players shouldn’t have to cope with the additional weight of big expectations put on their young shoulders. Yesterday, I really appreciated what young Stan showed against Allen.

The last match I watched was Milkins v Wang Yuchen. It was a much closer match than the scores suggest. Robert Milkins, when on form, is scary. He makes the game look ridiculously easy. Yesterday was such a day. But, even if the score do suggest otherwise, Wang made him work for his win. Wang’s safety was excellent, and Milkins’ safety game is badly underrated. In long stretches this match was very tactical. Wang made the only 50+ break of the match, a truly beautiful 118 in frame 3. It was also a match played in great spirit, both players showing appreciation for their opponent’s good shots.

At the time of writing Ronnie is still in the draw unless WST is hiding things from us… 😉 I’m not expecting anything, Janie Clarke is no numpty, but I believe that he will want to play and play well in Hong Kong where he’s now a resident. A bit of competitive snooker played ahead of the 2025 Grand Prix might be part of the plan.

Who will be in Llandudno next week has been decided over the last three days and all the results are on snooker.org.

Hereafter are the reports shared by WST:

Day 1 – 4 February 2025

Evans Stuns Leclercq In Welsh Qualifiers

Reanne Evans enjoyed an impressive 4-1 victory over Julien Leclercq in the first qualifying round of the BetVictor Welsh Open, her second win on the pro tour this season.

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Evans, the 12-time World Women’s Champion, will meet Joe O’Connor on Wednesday afternoon with the winner to go through to Llandudno next week. She took the opening frame against former Shoot Out finalist Leclercq on the final black, then dominated the next two with a top break of 40 to lead 3-0. Leclercq pulled one back before Evans settled the result in frame five. Her last win on the pro tour came in December when she beat Amir Sarkhosh 5-3 in the Machineseeker German Masters qualifiers.

Tour rookie Liam Davies, age 18, took a step towards qualifying for his home tournament as he beat Antoni Kowalski 4-1 with breaks of 93, 134 and 51. Liam Pullen edged out Kreishh Gurbaxani 4-3 with a top break of 102. The deciding frame came down to the final black, and Pullen potted it to set up a tie with Robbie Williams. It was a good day to be called Liam, as Shoot Out finalist Liam Graham beat Iulian Boiko 4-3.  

Dylan Emery won a Welsh derby against Duane Jones 4-2, while Ishpreet Singh Chadha top scored with 109 in a 4-0 whitewash of Baipat Siripaporn. Oliver Lines made a 136 in a 4-0 win over Ahmed Elsayed, while Stan Moody eased to a 4-0 success against Chris Totten. 

Day 2 – 5 February 2025

Amateur Emery Knocks Out Lei

BetVictor Scottish Open champion Lei Peifan failed to make it to the final stages of the BetVictor Welsh Open, losing 4-3 in the qualifiers to amateur Dylan Emery.

China’s 21-year-old Lei won his first ranking title in December in Edinburgh, but misses out on the chance to chase more silverware in Llandudno. He’s also out of the race to win the £150,000 BetVictor Bonus, as he had climbed to third place behind Neil Robertson and Kyren Wilson but cannot now add to his tally. 

Welshman Emery, age 23 from Caerphilly, is not on the pro tour but finished top of the 2024 Q School rankings so has earned a place in many ranking events. He compiled a superb break of 82 in the deciding frame to beat Lei and set up a match with Noppon Saengkham in Llandudno next week.

India’s Ishpreet Singh Chadha enjoyed a superb 4-0 win over Ashley Carty, firing runs of 87, 83, 83 and 104, and his reward is a match with defending champion Gary Wilson on Monday.

Dominic Dale, playing his last season on the pro tour, beat Mitchell Mann 4-3, while Jimmy Robertson came from 3-0 down to beat Allan Taylor 4-3 with a top break of 109.

Reanne Evans couldn’t follow up her first round win over Julien Leclercq as she lost 4-0 to Joe O’Connor, while Andrew Higginson came from 3-2 down to edge out He Guoqiang 4-3.

In round one, Austria’s Florian Nuessle made the highest break so far, 143, as he beat Jiang Jun 4-3 t set up a tie with Liu Hongyu. 

Day 3 – 6 February 2025

Brave Walden Earns Llandudno Spot

Ricky Walden beat Artemijs Zizins 4-2 to reach the final stages of the BetVictor Welsh Open, despite ongoing health problems which caused him to spend five days in hospital in Berlin last week.

Three-time ranking event winner Walden is due to have surgery to remove his gallbladder in the coming weeks, but during the recent Machineseeker German Masters, the same issue flared up and caused inflammation of his pancreas. In extreme pain, he withdrew from the tournament before his last 16 match and was rushed to hospital in Berlin, where he remained for five days. The pain is now under control, though Walden was clearly in discomfort today during his battle with Latvia’s Zizins.

Still, breaks of 81, 66 and 124 helped 42-year-old Walden to victory, and he goes through to Llandudno, just an hour away from his home in Chester. He will face Matthew Selt in the last 64.

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh suffered a 4-2 defeat against Ben Mertens, a huge blow to his hopes of qualifying for the World Grand Prix. The Thai is in 32nd place in the Johnstone’s Paint One-Year Rankings, with only the top 32 at the end of next week’s tournament to earn a place in Hong Kong.

Last year’s runner-up Martin O’Donnell will not be in Llandudno this time as he lost 4-0 to Wang Yuchen, whose top break was 112. Yuan Sijun, a semi-finalist in Germany, continued his fine form as he beat Amir Sarkhosh 4-0 with a top run of 115.  Jimmy White narrowly missed out as he lost 4-3 to Scott Donaldson. 

Welshman Jamie Clarke secured his place with a 4-2 defeat of Louis Heathcote, as did Stan Moody who edged out Anthony Hamilton 4-3. Moody made a 134 in frame five, and later a vital 52 in the decider. That result is a blow to Hamilton’s chances of avoiding relegation at the end of the season, having been ever present on the tour since 1991.

Hong Kong’s Marco Fu top scored with 87 in a 4-0 defeat of David Grace while Austrian amateur Florian Nuessle edged out Liu Hongyu 4-3. Welshman Matthew Stevens enjoyed a 4-1 success against Hammad Miah. 

So, we finally get to learn what happened to Ricky Walden in Berlin. Ouch! Gallbladder problems can be extremely painful and all credit to Ricky for competing this week.

There are far too many matches for me to even try to comment on everything so just a few observations about the results:

• As much as I’m pleased with Reanne winning her first match, I can’t help but wonder, and worry about Julien Leclercq current lack of form. Having retained his tour card after his first two years as a pro, he’s done very little so far this season. Ben Mertens, on the other hand, is doing well.
• Iulian Boiko once again lost narrowly, having led by 3-2. His confidence must be shattered. Maybe he needs to put his cue down for a bit, and get help for the mental/emotional side of things. Given the situation in his country, none of us knows what he may be going through. He may be facing challenges that are way more important than a game of snooker.
• I’m not sure what’s going on, if players are getting that much better or if the conditions are more “favorable” recently but I can’t remember seeing so many 147 in any previous season.

Anyway… here is the most recent one as shared by WST on their YouTube channel